with love always

The night Brenna and Devon met, they were both attending their very first Navy Ball. Both active-duty Sailors at the time, they had no idea the night would change their lives. Brenna remembers seeing Devon walk into the room and thinking, “That is the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life.” Fate stepped in when—completely by chance—they were placed at the same table. Brenna had snagged the last two available tickets and dragged along a coworker who didn’t even want to go, so ending up beside Devon felt like something more than coincidence. When Devon and his friend arrived, they made an unforgettable entrance: Devon introduced himself as John, and John introduced himself as Devon. From that moment on, the table was filled with laughter. At some point, a couple of bottles of alcohol that absolutely did not belong to them mysteriously appeared in the center of the table. Other guests wandered over to refill their drinks like it was a makeshift bar, and Brenna and Devon just kept laughing through it all. When everyone moved upstairs to dance, Devon asked Brenna to join him, and the two spent the rest of the night wrapped up in each other’s company. When it was time to leave, Brenna was supposed to take the bus home, but Devon and his friends offered her a ride. Maybe not the smartest decision at the time—but definitely the right one. Their adventure only grew when the car broke down on the side of the road in the middle of Italy. They waited forever for a tow truck, and Brenna ended up calling for a rescue ride while also helping Devon manage his very drunk friend. Eventually, they made it back, met up with the friends they were originally supposed to see, stole their beer, and ended the night sitting at the playground on base talking until two in the morning. Somehow, after only a few hours, it felt like they had known each other their whole lives.